Sewing machine lubricating means



Feb. 23, 1943- A. B. CLAYTON SEWING MACHINE LUBRICATING MEANS Filed May 19, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 23, 1943;

'A. B. CLAYTON SEWING MACHINE LUBRICATING MEANS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May- 19, 1941 Patented Feb. 23, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SEWING MACHINE LUBRICATIN G MEANS Application May 19, 1941, Serial No. 394,106

7 Claims.

This invention relates to sewing machines and more particularly to sewing machines of the high-speed type requiring a constant application of lubricant during the operation thereof.

An object of the invention is to provide such a sewing machine with a lubricant-containing chamber unit which is adapted to surround, and provide a constant bath of oil for those moving parts of the machine that especially require continual lubrication.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a lubricating chamber which may be applied to most any sewing machine of the above noted type, and which will require but a minimum of alteration in a sewing machine to attach the same thereon.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, the invention comprises the devices, combinations, and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment of the invention, from which the several features of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. l is a top plan View of a sewing machine cloth-plate and bed with a portion of the cloth-plate cut away to illustrate one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 22, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a disassembled perspective View of apart of the lubricating chamber unit.

Fig. 4 15 a fragmentary vertical section through the side wall of the lubricating chamber showing the loop-taker actuating shaft and the oil-sling mounted thereon.

The invention is disclosed as embodied in a sewing machine of the type represented in United States Patents Nos. 1,100,124 of June 16, 1914, and 1,569,912 of Jan. 19, 1926. The machine has the usual frame including a bed I and upright bracket-arm staindard 2. Secured to the bed I is the usual cloth-plate 3 over which the work passes.

The stitch-forming mechanism comprises the reciprocatory needle 4 and the complementary loop-taking element 5 which is actuated in the usual manner by the inclined crank it and the rotating shaft 1 journaled lengthwise of the bed I in suitable bearings including the bearings 8 and 9 carried by the frame.

The cloth-plate 3 carries the throat-plate 10 which is provided with the needle aperture ll and the clearance slots 12 for the feed-dog I3. Cooperating with the feed-dog 13 in the feeding of the work is the presser-foot 14 secured to the usual presser-bar 15.

The feed-dog I3 is secured to and actuated by the feed-bar I4 which is pivotally fastened to the feed-rocker 15. The forward end l6 of the feedbar I4 is forked and embraces the feed-lift eccentric 25 which is mounted upon shaft 1. The back and forth movements of the feed-dog 13 are derived from the feed-eccentric l1 mounted upon the rotary shaft 1 and embraced by the strap portions I8 of a connecting or pitman-rod 19, one end of which is pivotally fastened to rocker [5. The amplitude of the back and forth motions of the feed-dog 13 may be varied in the usual manner by changing the eccentricity of the feed eccentric I! by means of the usual adjusting mechanism 20 which is also mounted upon the rotary shaft 1.

To control the looper thread or threads, a thread-cam 2| is mounted upon rotary shaft 1 and it is adapted to cooperate with the threaddetainer 22, the thread-guiding wires 23, and the thread-guiding plates 24. A more detailed description of this looper-thread controlling mechanism may be found in United States Patent No. 2,095,212, of Oct. 5, 1937.

Surrounding the feed-eccentric 17, a portion of the pitman-rod l9, the eccentric adjusting mechanism 20, and that portion of rotary shaft 1 carrying said elements is a lubricant-containing or lubricating chamber. This chamber comprises an open top casing 26 adapted to have the looptaker actuating shaft 1 pass through apertures 21 and 28 provided respectively in two of its parallel and oppositely spaced sides 29 and 30. Integral with the casing side wall 30 and concentric with the loop-taker actuating shaft aperture 28 is a boss 3| provided with an aperture 62 aligned with said shaft aperture 28. The reduced portion 32 of the bearing 9, which is carried by the upright standard 2, extends into the two aligned apertures 28 and 62. The boss 3| is provided with set-screws 33 which secure the casing 26 to the reduced bearing portion 32 and thereby supports the entire casing 26.

The end-wall 34 of the casing 26 is provided with a vertical slot 35 through which the pitman rod I9 extends. In order to help prevent splashed oil from escaping from the casing 26 through the slot 35, a slotted oil baflie plate 36, made of fiber or any other suitable material, is secured by means of a screw 31 to the end wall 34 and positioned thereon so that the smaller slot 38, formed in the baflle 33, is in register with the larger casing slot 35.

Lubricating oil is delivered to the casing 26 by means of an oil conduit or pipe 39 leading from the usual oil-main 40. The end-wall 4| has an aperture 42 tapped therein to receive the threaded nozzle 43 of the oil-pipe 39. A constant oil-level, indicated by line 44 in Fig. 2 is maintained in the casing 28 through the medium of an overflow hole 45 provided in the casing wall 29. Excess oil escapes through this hole 45 to be caught by the machine bed I.

This oil level is high enough so that the feedeccentric l1 and. the pitman-rod straps [8 may be lubricated by the splashed oil thrown up by the straps [8 as they rotate and dip into the oil. When a sewing machine of the present type is required to run continuously for long intervals of time, it is essential that the feed-eccentric l1 and the pitman-rod straps l8 be bathed in lubricating oil to insure long life to those parts subject to moving contact with each other.

In order to prevent the splashed oil from escaping through the shaft aperture 21, the rotary shaft I is provided with a collar 46 having a set-screw 41 which secures the collar directly to the shaft '1. One side of the collar 46 is formed as an oil sling with an undercut portion 48 which cooperates with an undercut recess 45 formed in the casing 26 and concentrically with the shaft aperture 21. Oil which does escape through the aperture 2'! is caught by the collar 46 and is flung backtowards the oil casing 26 by the above noted oil sling 48. This oil is then returned by gravity to the casing 26 through an inclined oil hole 50 formed in the side wall 29.

Oil is permitted to escape from the aperture 28 for the purpose of lubricating the shaft bearing 9.

The top open portion of the casing 26 is fitted with an oil-tight cover-plate secured thereto by means of screws 52 which pass through the apertures 53, formed in the cover 5|, to be received by the apertures 54 tapped in the casing walls. Positioned between the cover-plat 51 and the casing 26 is an oil-sealing gasket 55.

The top portion of cover-plate 5| is provided with a porthole through which the oil may be observed for inspection purposes. This porthole comprises a frame member 55 into which a transparent window 5'! is force-fitted. An oil-sealing gasket 58 is located between the cover-plate 5i and the frame 56 which is secured to the cover by means of screws 59 received by the apertures 60 tapped in the cover-plate 5|.

An aperture, not herein shown, is provided in the cloth-plate 3 in vertical alignment with the above described window 51 to permit proper observation through the latter element.

A plug 69 is fitted into an aperture 6| tapped into the casing 26 for the purpose of providing an auxiliary oil drainage means.

The invention is not limited in its application to a sewing machine feed-actuating eccentric and pitman-rod, but may obviously be applied to any similar acting mechanism of a sewing machine which requires constant lubrication. Furthermore, it is apparent, from the above description, that the entire lubricating assembly may be made as a unit to be applied, when needed, to different types of sewing machines.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention what I claim herein is:

'1. A lubricating device for use with a sewing machine having a frame, an actuating shaft journaled in bearings carried by said frame, an oil sling secured to said actuating shaft, and driven mechanism spaced from said shaft and actuated therefrom by means of a connecting element, said lubricating device comprising an enclosed oilcontaining casing having therein two aligned apertures provided to receive said shaft, a casing side-wall containing one of said apertures which is adapted to receive a portion of one of said shaft bearings, means to secure said side-wall to said bearing to support the entire casing, a second casing side-wall portion defining the other of said apertures being undercut to adapt this side-wall to operatively associate with said oil sling, a casing end-wall having therein an aperture which is adapted to permit passage of said connecting element, and an oil baffle-plate associated with said end-wall aperture.

2. The combination with a sewing machine having a frame, a rotary shaft journaled in bearings carried by said frame, driven mechanism spaced from said shaft and actuated therefrom by means of a connecting element, and an oilmain associated with said frame, of means for lubricating a portion of said connecting element comprising a covered oil-containing casing having therein a pair of spaced aligned apertures through which said rotary shaft extends, means to secure said casing to one of said shaft bearings, an oil conduit connecting the casing with said oil-main, said casing being provided with an oil overflow aperture and having an end-wall formed with an aperture through which said connecting element extends.

3. A lubricating device for use with a sewing machine having a frame, a rotary shaft journaled in bearings carried by said frame, work feeding mechanism spaced from said shaft and actuated therefrom by means of a connecting-rod, and an oil-main, said lubricating device being adapted to lubricate a portion of said connecting rod and comprising an enclosed oil-containing casing adapted to surround a portion of said connectingrod and that portion of said shaft connected therewith, said casing having a pair of aligned apertures to receive said rotary shaft, said casing having means including an apertured boss for securing the entire casing to one of said shaft bearings, said casing also having an end-wall formed with an opening to receive said connecting-rod, an oil conduit secured to the casing for the purpose of being connected'with said oil-main, and said casing further having therein an oil overflow aperture.

4. The combination with a sewing machine having a frame, a rotary shaft journaled in bearings carried by said frame, and driven mechanism spaced from said shaft and actuated therefrom by means of a connecting element, of means for lubricating a portion of said connecting element comprising an open topped oil-containing casing having a pair of spaced aligned apertures through which said rotary shaft extends, a cover-piate having an observation window therein secured to the top portion of said casing, an apertured boss projecting from the side of said casing to receive a portion of and to be secured to one of said shaft bearings for the purpose of supporting the entire casing, said casing having an end-wall formed with an aperture, and having an oil baffle-plate associated therewith, said connecting element extending into said casing through said end wall aperture.

5. In a sewing machine having a'frame, a-rotary shaft journaled in bearings 'carried'bysaid frame, a feed rocker actuated by a pitman-rod, said pitman-rod being connected to an eccentric mounted upon said rotary shaft, and an oil-main; the improvement which consists in the provision of a means for lubricating said eccentric and a portion of said pitman-rod, said means comprising an enclosed oil-containing casing having a pair of aligned apertures which receive said rotary shaft and thereby have the casing surround said eccentric, means to secure said casing to one of said shaft bearings, said casing having an end-wall formed with an aperture therein, an oil baffleplate associated with said aperture, said pitmanrod extending into said casing through said endwall aperture, an oil-pipe connecting the casing with said oil-main, and said casing being provided therein with an oil overflow aperture.

6. In a sewing machine having a frame, a rotary shaft journaled in bearings carried by said frame, a feed-rocker actuated by a pitman-rod, said pitman-rod being connected to an eccentric mounted upon said rotary shaft, and an oil main associated with said frame; the improvement which consists in the provision of a means for lubricating said eccentric and a portion of said pitman-rod comprising an open topped oil-containing casing having a pair of aligned apertures which receive said rotary shaft to thereby confine said eccentric within the casing, an oil sling secured to said shaft and associated with one of said shaft-receivingapertures, an oil-tight cover-plate having an observation window therein closing the top portion of the casing, an apertured boss projecting from the side of said casing to receive a portion of and to be secured to one of said shaft bearings, said casing having an end-wall formed with an aperture, an oil bafiie-plate associated with said aperture, said pitman rod extending into said casing through said end-wall aperture, an oilpipe connecting said casing with said oil-main, and said casing being provided with an oil overflow outlet.

'7. The combination with a sewing machine having a frame, a rotary shaft journaled in bearings carried by said frame, an oil sling secured to said rotary shaft, and driven mechanism spaced from said shaft and actuated therefrom by means of a connecting element, of means for lubricating a portion of said connecting element comprising an open topped oil-containing casing having a pair of spaced aligned apertures through which said rotary shaft extends, a cover-plate secured to the top portion of the casing, an apertured boss projecting from a side wall said casing to receive a portion of and to be secured to one of said shaft bearings for the purpose of supporting the entire casing, a second casing side-wall portion defining the other of said apertures being undercut to adapt this side-wall to operatively associate with said oil sling, said casing having an end wall formed with an aperture, and having an oilbafiie-plate associate therewith, said connecting element extending into said casing through said end wall aperture.

ANDREW B. CLAYTON. 

